


The Wrong Choice

by Bmarvels



Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:35:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bmarvels/pseuds/Bmarvels
Summary: What if, after death, you were forced to experience not only your wildest dream but also your worst nightmare? Which would you choose to experience first and what would be your motivation behind your decision?





	The Wrong Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Another one of my old short stories finally uploaded! Let me know what you think!

Beyond death, there is a choice and there is judgement. I lived my life until I died and now I’m here facing that time. It was actually quite a wait, too, rather than just a blink of an eye. Once I had died, I felt like I was waking up from one of those short naps that distorts your memory of time, place, and thought. After that, all I saw was complete darkness with a small light emanating from objects and people from a far distance. To my despair, it was a line of people waiting to be seen and I was ushered to the back of it. We waited in this line until our time came to make a choice between two portal doors. These doors were strongly connected to each individual as we were to eventually enter through both doors before receiving our sentence to the afterlife.

My turn finally came and part of me felt giddy to discover what happens next. A voice speaks out to me and I look around to find the source but everyone around me don’t seem to hear it. The voice instructs me of what is to happen, what I am to do, and that the choice is ultimately up to me. _You are to choose between two doors, both of which you’ll eventually experience. Behind one will reveal to you your wildest dream. The other contains your worst fear. What will you choose to do? Will you be ready?_

I’ve come to assume this voice is speaking to me through my thoughts, so I think my reply back. _I believe I am ready. I choose the door to face my worst fear first, and then to go through to end on a better note._

 _Very well,_ the voice replies slightly surprising me that my theory rang true. _Proceed forward and remember all that has been laid out before you._

 

Suddenly, a door drops before me and opens to reveal a spiraling vortex of a portal. With anxiety, nerves, and adrenaline rushing through me, I take a deep breath and step into the portal. Immediately, my senses become completely blocked. No longer could I see, hear, smell, feel, or even taste the inside of my own mouth. It was disorienting and nothing I could ever explain. Slowly, it seems my senses start returning to me. I could feel myself standing rigid somewhere surrounded by a warm feeling. I begin to regain the rest of my senses to their full capacity, with my sight being the last to return. I could hear a crackling sound and the smell of something burning before I saw the inferno I was standing in the middle of. Flames begin licking at my skin, singeing my hair. I start to panic and hyperventilate causing myself to choke of the smoke and other gases rising from the wild flames.

I blink away the tears forming in my eyes to better see my surroundings to look for a possible way out. Among the roaring flames, I hear my name called out.  The voice sounded as that of a child, one I recognized immediately. Frantically, I search through the chaos to find the small child calling out my name, my baby brother. Weakened from the heat and smoke, I continue to push forward in my search. Nothing else mattered aside from finding and helping him. No matter what becomes of me, he is all that matters. Being so young, he cannot help nor protect himself. It was my job to protect him and I cannot fail now.

In my panic, I yell out to him in hope to comfort him. “We are going to make it out of here. I promise! I will find you!” And as if my words were laced with magic, I suddenly spotted him through the flames. Our eyes met and I could see the terror in his eyes but he nodded his head acknowledging what I had said. Finally closing the distance between us, he reaches out his arms to me and I pick him up to carry him on my hip. I take another look at our surroundings to decide if I should go back the way I just came from or try another route.

I spot a thin and narrow path untouched by the flames and decide that it was our best shot. I hold my brother to my chest to protect his face from the heat and wrap my arms around him to shield him as best as I could, then proceed forward hoping for an exit. _How did he get here? And why is he trapped in my worst fear?_ I think to myself, but it doesn’t matter now. _As long as he’s safe, it’ll all be okay. And I won’t let anything happen to him._

 

Just then, a door suddenly drops from nowhere just a short distance away from us. A spark of hope ignites within me propelling my feet faster towards what I can only hope will be our solace. With my free hand, I reach towards the door handle as I approach the door and grab ahold of it. Without a chance to open the door, I’m immediately overwhelmed with a fast spinning feeling as we’re transported to somewhere new, somewhere even brighter.

The flames, the infernal heat, the panic, all were suddenly gone. Now, we were bathed in a brilliant light as if we were in someone’s description of heaven. Everything around us was open and bright, brilliant and beautiful, more so than I could ever describe. I set my brother down to check on him and take his hand in mine as we continued to be in awe of our surroundings. It had to be heaven, there was no other way to explain it.

“And you would be correct,” a voice said as a being of light appeared before us. “We are blessed that you both made it here.”

“Is this the second door?” I ask in reverence.

“Indeed, it is. You made it. However, you cannot stay. It is your time to go. Your judgement awaits you,” the angel informs me.

“But what about my brother? What will happen to him?”

“He is in favor of the Almighty as all children are. They are called to be here. This is where he will stay; but, as for you, your choices have been looked upon unfavorably. The child must come with me, now.” The angel responds as he motions for my brother to come forward. Without a second glance, my brother releases my hand and goes towards to angel, not even looking back at me. They proceed to walk further away from me, hand in hand, as I’m left completely immobilized despite my efforts to reach for my brother. Even my voice was taken from me as I tried calling out to them, needing answers.

 

As they fade away from my sight, a force brings me to my knees as tears fall from my eyes and sobs rage in my chest. I’m being sucked into the ground beneath me which turns into a violent vortex. Down, down, down I fall, spiraling and thrashing until I’m dropped onto a hard and uneven surface, harder than any pavement and darker than obsidian. I was surrounded by fire, ice, and a horde of people that was rushing towards me until they finally reach me and begin attacking. My hair was being pulled, my clothes were torn, my skin split open, and my body began bruising as I was being tortured by these evil beings. I was in hell, this is where my judgement has sentenced me to.

I could only catch small glimpses of the people attacking me, all disfigured and cannibalized as if they too went through this torture until they joined the fray. All I could feel was pain, yet I did nothing. I did not scream, I did not partake, I did not fight. All I could do was think about my decisions prior to my judgement. Time no longer seemed to exist here but it felt like an eternity. I had chosen my worst fear to feel weak and broken first so that I could be uplifted in a better place, one of my greatest dreams. Just when I began to feel broken, I found relief knowing I had a chance to save my brother. Once I knew he would be safe, we enter heaven together and suddenly I was no longer broken. The worst was finally behind me. At least that was what I had thought. Instead, I was abandoned and sent to hell where I was left to be further broken. _What was worse than being broken?_ I didn’t know, but that’s where I was now. I had to watch the only person in the world I cared about, gave my life for and always took care of since our parents’ passing, leave me without a single sign of protest.

 

Suddenly, a bright light broke through the the darkness above us causing the hellish creatures screeching and running for cover. I squint at the light above me to shield my eyes from its brilliance, unable to move my limbs to cover my face. The light descended towards me, closer and closer it approached me until I could just make out the silhouette of an angel, similar to the last one I saw before judgement.

“Your sentence has been revoked. Further analysis of your decision brought a new light behind your reasoning. It has now been considered upon favorably. I am here to take you back to your brother. You have managed to keep your soul from being defiled during your time here, something that is unusual for those sentenced here.” The angel explains as he raises his hands up causing my body to levitate off the ground traveling higher and higher towards the light he descended from. Breaching the threshold, I’m encompassed in light and my body is healed as I’m suddenly standing just inside the gates of heaven. Shock and surprise etched in my face, I look around me wondering if this is all even real until I see my darling brother racing towards me. I can’t help but meet him halfway with tears in the corners of my eyes as I embrace him into a tight hug. Murmuring my relief and joy at seeing him, I slowly look up over his shoulder just to see out parents walking towards us, holding hands and smiling brighter than I’ve ever seen.

 

A buzzing sound coming from my alarm wakes me up as I peer over at its harsh red-lighted numbers to see it’s been buzzing for a couple minutes. Clicking the alarm off, I roll out of bed with a stretch as I begin to get ready and calling out to my brother to get up for school. After finishing my routine and getting all of his things together, I call out to him to make sure he’s nearly ready to go. “You’re going to be late for school if you don’t hurry up! And I’m going to be late for work. Get a move on, squirt.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” I hear my brother yell from around the corner as he’s struggling to get his backpack on his shoulders. “Did you make my lunch?”

“Don’t I always?” I crinkle my nose at him as I stick out my tongue. “Of course, I did. When have I ever forgotten? Your specialty like always.” I say as I show his lunch box to him before putting the pack in his bag. “Now let’s go. In the car.”

With a quick, cute smile and then a tongue stuck back out at me before he races towards the car. I get us buckled in and we head to our destinations. With bright smiles on our faces, listening to his favorite songs, I drive up the usual hill on the highway to his preschool. Approaching the top of the hill, a semi truck appears on the other side of the hill in the opposite lane, until it started swerving into our lane just as our vehicles met at the top. Without time to react or know what was happening, the truck slams into us head on. It was over in a flash. Neither of us had a chance of surviving. Death came to greet us like an old friend.

 

Beyond death, there is a choice, and there is judgement.


End file.
